"Dancing Through It"Jenifer Ringer's Book Just Out

In the wake of Jenny's farewell performance, here is her book, ready at last, and I leapt upon it! Jenny is or rather, was, my favorite dancer in NYC Ballet, and her dance biography is elegantly written and put together. The photos are delicious and she has given close attention to important milestones of her career. I have written a review on Amazon. I hope her future will be as fulfilling and filled with dance in some form. I also admire her speaking ability and poise as host of a Dancer's Choice program several years ago at NYCB.

Thanks, Eileen. I read the Kindle sample last night, and decided within a few pages to buy the book. "Elegant" isn't the word I'd use for the writing, but it's clear and conversational, which is to say her personality comes through, and quite pleasurably so. Like you, I'll miss her, and I wish her all the best.

Ringer was just in Seattle on a tour for her book, and did an interview with KUOW, our local NPR station -- they're running part of it today (noon-2 pm PDT). Once it's run, you can look for a podcast on their website.

(I know we discussed her appearance here somewhere else on BA, but I cannot find it right now, so am posting this here)

I've still got about 1/4 to go. While there was so much personal struggle in the book and so much that she's overcome, what's struck me most so far was an incident Ringer didn't discuss in the Seattle talk. She had made a debut in a major role, but was also scheduled to dance a featured role in another cast. She realized that the featured role stressed her foot in a way that left her open to re-injury -- which would have left the company scrambling to re-schedule -- and she described the scene where she discussed withdrawing from the role with Peter Martins. If I hadn't been strapped in with a seat belt, I would have given her a standing ovation on the spot for the way she rationally dealt with his unjustified assumption of bad faith and realized it was his issue, not hers.

It didn't have to be Martins: it could have been any person in a position of power acting unreasonably and with whom she had to deal in the workplace. It was the way she dealt with it that was so -worthy.

Haven't read the book, but that reminds of the documentary of NYCB on tour in Russia in which Martins behaves in a really nasty manner toward A. Ansanelli during a rehearsal of Serenade. If memory serves, Ansanelli was just getting over an injury and just wanted to mark her steps at rehearsal. Martins was very rude and short tempered, all preserved on film.

what's struck me most so far was an incident Ringer didn't discuss in the Seattle talk. She had made a debut in a major role, but was also scheduled to dance a featured role in another cast. She realized that the featured role stressed her foot in a way that left her open to re-injury -- which would have left the company scrambling to re-schedule -- and she described the scene where she discussed withdrawing from the role with Peter Martins.

It's surprising he wouldn’t give the benefit of the doubt to an up-and-coming dancer worried about impending injury.

What surprised me more was the apparent bewilderment with which he and others in the NYCB administration viewed her eating disorder. (Martins, for example, not so helpfully volunteered that he’d stopped his own weight gain by just laying off cheesecake). This was in the mid-to-late 90’s – in a ballet company! I’d have thought that at that late date they'd have been savvy and sympathetic.

I think the reality at NYCB about eating disorders is different from the lip service they pay to it. I recall reading that they have workshops and provide instructions from nutritionists. On paper they want to promote a healthy approach. However, I think the reality is that NYCB is a very "thin" company, more so than a lot of other ballet companies of similar caliber. This is especially true regarding female dancers.

Haven't read the book, but that reminds of the documentary of NYCB on tour in Russia in which Martins behaves in a really nasty manner toward A. Ansanelli during a rehearsal of Serenade. If memory serves, Ansanelli was just getting over an injury and just wanted to mark her steps at rehearsal. Martins was very rude and short tempered, all preserved on film.

Interesting abatt. I saw that movie recently and didn't interpret it that way. The way I saw it she was new to the role, the rehearsal was for her, and Martins had to see her do it full out and well before letting her perform it. She didn't ask to mark, but messed up and said she'd work on it later. PM basically said that this was her rehearsal, and there was no later. He ended up pulling her from the ballet. I sympathized with her, but didn't think PM was out of line.

Peter Martins has been with NYCB since 1970, he's never really had any other professional work experience or education before he became AD at NYCB. So we are judging him based on current 2014 private sector management expectations that we experience (how to speak to a subordinate, etc).

Maybe a corporate management style isn't relevant. I think maybe a professional coach is a better example: If you filmed an NFL coach discussing injuries with his players, they would also appear to be cavalier of injuries and recovery time. However the coaching culture is changing, coaches are supervised by Athletic Directors who worry about liability issues, and are regulated by leagues (NCAAs, NFL, etc). Additionally they get continuing education for injury prevention / injury rehabilitation from experts at coaching conferences.

PM is set in his ways, society will continue to evolve, but he will not. Eventually there will be conflict and the board decides his ways no longer move NYCB forward.

Haven't read the book, but that reminds of the documentary of NYCB on tour in Russia in which Martins behaves in a really nasty manner toward A. Ansanelli during a rehearsal of Serenade. If memory serves, Ansanelli was just getting over an injury and just wanted to mark her steps at rehearsal. Martins was very rude and short tempered, all preserved on film.

Interesting abatt. I saw that movie recently and didn't interpret it that way. The way I saw it she was new to the role, the rehearsal was for her, and Martins had to see her do it full out and well before letting her perform it. She didn't ask to mark, but messed up and said she'd work on it later. PM basically said that this was her rehearsal, and there was no later. He ended up pulling her from the ballet. I sympathized with her, but didn't think PM was out of line.

I can only imagine the pressure he felt to have the company at its best in St. Petersburg. Ansanelli later said something to the effect that she didn't hold that decision against him, or at least that (I need Helene-of-the-great-memory here ), it had nothing to do with her early retirement.